One of the primary reasons to opt for professional gutter cleaning is to prevent costly repairs. Clogged and neglected gutters can lead to water damage, which can affect your home's foundation, roof, and siding. Repairing such damages can be a significant financial burden.
Gutters that fall into disrepair and become clogged are unable to do their job—protect your home. Clogged gutters can lead to leaky roofs and water damage, among other concerns. Not to mention, clogged gutters are a paradise for pests, rodents, and mold which aren't the type of company you want attracted to your home.
Many experts recommend gutters are cleaned twice a year — once at the beginning of spring and then again after the autumnal leaf drop.
If you'd like to tip your gutter cleaners, $10 to $20 per cleaner is a typical tip. If the job is more challenging or takes more time, you can always tip a little more.
A two- or three-story home will cost more than a single-story home as cleaning requires additional time and ladder and rope skillset. Pitch of the roof – The pitch or steepness is a crucial factor in determining the price of gutter cleaning. The combination of pitch and the number of stories is essential to understand.
While it is possible to climb on your roof to clean gutters, it is not recommended for safety reasons. Climbing on a roof can be dangerous, especially if you're not experienced or don't have the proper equipment. Instead, it's best to use a ladder to access your gutters and clean them from there.
Cleaning a gutter is best done at the end of autumn or at the beginning of spring. If it is more than one year ago, it is best to do this immediately, to avoid problems and water not being able to flow correctly. Especially in autumn, the gutters will quickly get dirty due to falling leaves and twigs.
A small home with little to no debris could be done in as fast as 20-30 minutes. However a smaller home with a lot of debris could take 60-90 minutes depending on what type of debris is in the gutters. Larger homes (5,000 sq ft plus) could take as long as 2-3 hours if there is a lot of debris.
Gutter guards, especially when professionally installed gutter guards, provide numerous benefits, making them a valuable investment for homeowners. They: Reduce the frequency of cleaning. Lower the risk of gutter overflow.
LeafFilter is worth it for homeowners who want to mitigate the buildup of debris in their gutter system, thereby reducing the need for cleaning and ensuring the free flow of rainwater through their gutter system.
Gutter Maintenance is Your Responsibility
It's important to understand that although your home insurance policy may cover broken gutters, it does not pay to maintain your gutters. You are responsible for caring for your gutters to ensure they don't clog with leaves, shingle grit, rodents, and other debris.
But if you don't clean your gutters regularly, you can end up with much bigger problems and costly home repairs in the future. Hiring a professional to clean your gutters can provide the best of both worlds: you'll know that your gutters are working as they should, and you won't have to do any of the dirty work!
If you don't clean your gutters regularly, it can cause a lot of problems for your home. Water can overflow from clogged gutters, damaging your roof, siding, and even the foundation of your house. The water can also seep into your home and cause mold growth, which can lead to health issues.
For a one-story home, expect to pay gutter cleaning costs between $0.40 and $1.00 per linear foot. If you have a two-story home, the cost typically ranges from $0.60 to $1.60 per linear foot, and finally a three-story home may charge $0.80 to $2.00 per linear square foot.
Handypeople are equipped to do all sorts of tasks, including but not limited to gutter cleanings. You may pay less by hiring a handyperson instead of a gutter pro. When executed by a gutter company, cleanings cost between $120 and $230 on average, but a handyperson may charge as little as $75 for the same job.
Gutter cleaning is the process of removing any debris, dirt, and leaves from your gutters and downspouts that clog your gutter system and stop rainwater from flowing freely from the roof to the ground.
Handyman advises against walking on the roof unless completely necessary. From the roof, leaning downhill to reach the gutter increases your risk of falling. Accessing the roof and gutters while using an extension ladder is the safest. We also recommend waiting until midday when the roof is dry.
Neglecting gutter maintenance can lead to costly repairs down the line. Gutters need to be cleaned at least twice a year – in the spring and in the fall. If you have pine trees near your home, needles will need to be removed every three months to reduce the potential for clogging the gutters and downspouts.
Yes, gutter cleaning is necessary even if you don't have trees nearby. While it might seem logical to assume that fewer leaves mean fewer clogs, gutters can still accumulate debris from other sources, leading to blockages and potential damage to your home.
When you have a clogged gutter, rainwater has nowhere left to go but overflow or soak through your shingles and leak into your home. Your shingles then become softened and significantly damaged, allowing for more leakage from rainfall. The weight of the rainwater can also cause the gutter to rip and damage your roof.
Clogged Gutters Can Cause Roof & Ceiling Leaks
As water leaks through to the inside of the roof, structural components of your home, furniture, appliances, and electrical systems are all at risk of water damage.